Book of Common Prayer
Your Word Is a Lamp to My Feet
Aleph
119 [a] Blessed are those whose (A)way is blameless,
who (B)walk in the law of the Lord!
2 Blessed are those who (C)keep his (D)testimonies,
who (E)seek him with their whole heart,
3 who also (F)do no wrong,
but walk in his ways!
4 You have commanded your (G)precepts
to be kept diligently.
5 Oh that my ways may (H)be steadfast
in keeping your statutes!
6 (I)Then I shall not be put to shame,
having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
7 I will praise you with an upright heart,
when I learn (J)your righteous rules.[b]
8 I will keep your statutes;
(K)do not utterly forsake me!
Beth
9 How can (L)a young man keep his way pure?
By guarding it according to your word.
10 (M)With my whole heart I seek you;
let me not (N)wander from your commandments!
11 I have (O)stored up your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.
12 Blessed are you, O Lord;
(P)teach me your statutes!
13 With my lips I (Q)declare
all the rules[c] of your mouth.
14 In the way of your testimonies I (R)delight
as much as in all (S)riches.
15 I will (T)meditate on your precepts
and fix my eyes on your (U)ways.
16 I will (V)delight in your statutes;
I will not forget your word.
Gimel
17 (W)Deal bountifully with your servant,
(X)that I may live and keep your word.
18 Open my eyes, that I may behold
wondrous things out of your law.
19 I am (Y)a sojourner on the earth;
(Z)hide not your commandments from me!
20 My soul is consumed with (AA)longing
for your rules[d] at all times.
21 You rebuke (AB)the insolent, (AC)accursed ones,
who (AD)wander from your commandments.
22 Take away from me (AE)scorn and contempt,
(AF)for I have kept your testimonies.
23 Even though (AG)princes sit plotting against me,
your servant will (AH)meditate on your statutes.
24 Your testimonies are my (AI)delight;
they are my (AJ)counselors.
The Faithful Have Vanished
To the choirmaster: according to The Sheminith.[a] A Psalm of David.
12 Save, O Lord, for (A)the godly one is gone;
for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man.
2 Everyone (B)utters lies to his neighbor;
with (C)flattering lips and (D)a double heart they speak.
3 May the Lord cut off all (E)flattering lips,
the tongue that makes (F)great boasts,
4 those who say, “With our tongue we will prevail,
our lips are with us; who is master over us?”
5 “Because (G)the poor are plundered, because the needy groan,
(H)I will now arise,” says the Lord;
“I will place him in the (I)safety for which he longs.”
6 (J)The words of the Lord are pure words,
like silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
purified seven times.
7 You, O Lord, will keep them;
you will guard us[b] from this generation forever.
8 On every side the wicked prowl,
as vileness is exalted among the children of man.
How Long, O Lord?
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
13 (K)How long, O Lord? Will you (L)forget me forever?
How long will you (M)hide your face from me?
2 How long must I take (N)counsel in my soul
and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
3 (O)Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;
(P)light up my eyes, lest (Q)I sleep the sleep of death,
4 (R)lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”
lest my foes rejoice because I am (S)shaken.
5 But I have (T)trusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall (U)rejoice in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the Lord,
because he has dealt bountifully with me.
The Fool Says, There Is No God
To the choirmaster. Of David.
14 (V)The (W)fool says in his heart, (X)“There is no God.”
They are (Y)corrupt, they do abominable deeds;
(Z)there is none who does good.
2 The Lord (AA)looks down from heaven on the children of man,
to see if there are any who understand,[c]
who (AB)seek after God.
3 They have all turned aside; together they have become (AC)corrupt;
there is none who does good,
not even one.
4 Have they no (AD)knowledge, all the evildoers
who (AE)eat up my people as they eat bread
and (AF)do not call upon the Lord?
5 There they are in great terror,
for God is with (AG)the generation of the righteous.
6 You would shame the plans of the poor,
but[d] the Lord is his (AH)refuge.
7 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When the Lord (AI)restores the fortunes of his people,
let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.
12 Thus says the Lord: (A)“As the shepherd rescues from the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, (B)so shall the people of Israel (C)who dwell in Samaria be rescued, with the corner of a couch and part[a] of a bed.
13 “Hear, (D)and testify against the house of Jacob,”
declares the Lord God, (E)the God of hosts,
14 “that on the day I punish Israel for his transgressions,
(F)I will punish the altars of Bethel,
and (G)the horns of the altar shall be cut off
and fall to the ground.
15 (H)I will strike (I)the winter house along with (J)the summer house,
and (K)the houses of ivory shall perish,
and the great houses[b] shall come to an end,”
declares the Lord.
4 “Hear this word, (L)you cows of Bashan,
who are (M)on the mountain of Samaria,
(N)who oppress the poor, (O)who crush the needy,
who say to your husbands, ‘Bring, that we may drink!’
2 (P)The Lord God has sworn by his holiness
that, behold, the days are coming upon you,
(Q)when they shall take you away with hooks,
(R)even the last of you with fishhooks.
3 (S)And you shall go out through the breaches,
each one straight ahead;
and you shall be cast out into Harmon,”
declares the Lord.
4 (T)“Come to Bethel, and transgress;
to (U)Gilgal, and multiply transgression;
(V)bring your (W)sacrifices every morning,
your tithes every three days;
5 offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving of (X)that which is leavened,
and proclaim (Y)freewill offerings, publish them;
(Z)for so you love to do, O people of Israel!”
declares the Lord God.
The Day of the Lord Will Come
3 This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them (A)I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, 2 (B)that you should remember the predictions of (C)the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, 3 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come (D)in the last days with scoffing, (E)following their own sinful desires. 4 (F)They will say, “Where is the promise of (G)his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5 For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth (H)was formed out of water and through water (I)by the word of God, 6 and that by means of these the world that then existed (J)was deluged with water and (K)perished. 7 But by the same word (L)the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and (M)destruction of the ungodly.
8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and (N)a thousand years as one day. 9 (O)The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise (P)as some count slowness, but (Q)is patient toward you,[a] (R)not wishing that any should perish, but (S)that all should reach repentance. 10 But (T)the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then (U)the heavens will pass away with a roar, and (V)the heavenly bodies[b] will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.[c]
The Authority of Jesus Challenged
23 (A)And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him (B)as he was teaching, and said, (C)“By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” 24 Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 The baptism of John, (D)from where did it come? (E)From heaven or from man?” And they discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, (F)‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘From man,’ (G)we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was (H)a prophet.” 27 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.
The Parable of the Two Sons
28 (I)“What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in (J)the vineyard today.’ 29 And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he (K)changed his mind and went. 30 And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, (L)the tax collectors and (M)the prostitutes go into (N)the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you (O)in the way of righteousness, and (P)you did not believe him, but (Q)the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward (R)change your minds and believe him.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.